Archive for August, 2015

It’s been 15 years since Nelly released his debut Country Grammar. Since then, he has sold 21 million albums in the U.S., won three Grammys, and helped put the Midwest hip-hop scene on the map.

The St. Louis rapper took a break from filming his BET reality series “Nellyville” to perform something old and something new for Nissan’s “Off the Record.” Backed by a full band, he dug into his catalog with his 2001 hit “Ride Wit Me,” and serenaded the ladies with his latest single “The Fix.”

The Jeremih-assisted jam, produced by DJ Mustard and Mike Free, samples Marvin Gaye’s classic “Sexual Healing,” and will appear on his upcoming album, his first for indie label Records.

So what keeps him motivated after all the success? “What drives me to continuously wanna grow is just understanding that there’s different levels to the game, period,” he said. “When I watch people before me—I watch Jay Zs, Dr. Dres, Puffs, people that are constantly elevating the game, that came from the same places that I come from, and doing the same thing that I’m doing—it makes you want more.”

All eyez on me. After making chart history and collaborating with everyone from Rita Ora to Kirko Bangz, the omnipotent Fetty Wap has revealed the cover art for his debut album. The close-up shot shows him with his bad eye exposed and one hand covering his good eye. The album, which still does not have a title, is due Sept. 25.

Fetty revealed that he was born with glaucoma and lost his eye when he was six months old. He got reconstructive surgery and stopped wearing the prothesis “’cause I didn’t want to look like everyone else.”

But despite losing his vision in one eye, his sights are set on the charts. He currently has two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, “Trap Queen” and “679,” while “My Way” sits at No. 11 and “Again” is No. 40.

You can catch him on Chris Brown’s “One Hell of a Nite” tour through Sept. 19.